All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 252 - 113: The God-given Seedling (Thanks to the leader who hasn’t rowed half as wildly!)

Chapter 252: Chapter 113: The God-given Seedling (Thanks to the leader who hasn’t rowed half as wildly!)

"I’m afraid I can’t be your master, with your Divine Mandate, even if you ponder on your own, you could fathom the cultivation method that suits you best."

An Jing felt that Mingguang Dust was entirely qualified, but Mingguang Dust himself didn’t think so, he slightly shook his head, "However, I’ve also promised you, to provide guidance for your Martial Arts cultivation, and I will not go back on my word on this matter."

"So."

After some thought, Mingguang Dust smiled and said, "For the recent period, I will be constructing a Law Altar in the mornings to connect with the Great Void, and from afternoon to night, if you have any doubts, you can ask me anything, and I can provide you with some guidance."

"But just to mention beforehand, with your talent, you might very soon perceive some very fundamental issues in Martial Arts. If there are some questions I also don’t know the answers to, don’t be surprised."

—Of course I won’t be surprised, there are some questions that even the Immortal Sword can’t answer.

An Jing thought to himself but also knew this was the best outcome possible. He immediately performed a disciple’s salute, making Mingguang Dust, who had said ’he isn’t fit to be a teacher,’ also smile. Then, turning his head, he said to Xuan Mingjing, who was watching from the side, "Learn well from An Jing; this is precisely the ability you truly lack!"

The mentioned Xuan Mingjing: "??"

But Xuan Mingjing wasn’t foolish. She clearly understood that wherever she went in the future, she indeed needed to learn An Jing’s ability to stir up situations everywhere and always adapt to her own identity and understand the thoughts of others.

"It’s just...really hard to learn." She silently observed, feeling emotional inside.

As there was still some time needed to construct the Law Altar, and nothing else pressing, Mingguang Dust directly explained some of the ’common sense’ that An Jing was missing in the courtyard.

"An Jing, your family is also a lineage of Martial Meridian; you should have some basic knowledge of Fate Pattern, such as ’Without a predestined life, there is no Inner Strength’ ’Only Lifebound can access Divine Repository’; you know about this, right?"

Sitting on a small stool made of bamboo used by ordinary farmers, Mingguang Dust started from the very basics and inquired,

and An Jing freely admitted, "I do not know about ’Only Lifebound can access Divine Repository’; may I ask why?"

"Because of Divine Skills."

Mingguang Dust nodded. At An Jing’s age, if he were a common Martial Artist, he would definitely still be laying the foundations, so not knowing these was normal. After some thought, he slowly spoke the same words Subdue Evil had once said, "To the very roots of Martial Arts, any method of cultivation, any secretive divine technique aimed, all aims at cultivating various ’Divine Skills’..."

An Jing listened carefully, comparing Subdue Evil’s previous remarks about Qi Refinement and gaining some understanding of Martial Arts as well.

The Fate Pattern of Embracing the Void, in essence, shares the same origin with the Immortal Path of Qi Refinement, and their purposes are almost entirely the same, that is to cultivate ’Divine Skills’.

But as foundations for transcending the mundane, ’Fate Pattern’ and ’Spirit Root’ are essentially different.

In essence, a Spirit Root is a physical amalgamation of the Five Spirits and Soul and Spirit, an interface to receive nature’s spiritual energy, just as its name implies, akin to a tree’s roots, it is the ’root’ that True Spirit of a person plants in nature.

Through the Spirit Root, the person’s True Spirit gradually grows and strengthens, reflecting back on the body and soul. Similarly to trees, powerful cultivators can stabilize an element of nature, fostering a more complete ecological environment, enriching the variety of Spirit Qi, leading to the birth of more creatures, thus incrementally strengthening the essence of the natural world.

But if the trees are too dense, it can lead to a homogeneous ecological structure, weaker resistance to external forces, and if there is a ’fire’ by accident, it can lead to a vast wildfire in the densely populated area of practitioners (trees) and destroy the forest.

This is the origin of the ’Calamity’ mentioned by Subdue Evil.

Fate Pattern, however, is different.

"Fate Pattern is the sprout bestowed by the Heaven’s Will."

Mingguang Dust said, "In the path of a Martial Artist, one’s body is the heaven and earth, and Heaven’s Will bestows the sprout. Only those with great desires and obsessions, those who aspire to change the heavens and earth or at least alter their personal fate, are graced by Heaven’s Will and receive a Fate Pattern!"

—Fate Pattern is the cultivation sprout bestowed by the great Dao of heaven and earth!

If one could say that the Spirit Root is a seed nurtured within the human body that takes root and grows, then the Fate Pattern is like a "sapling" bestowed directly by the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

They might appear similar, but in reality, the difference is significant.

The Spirit Root is truly random. Before birth, unless one is a Golden Core True Lord who understands Heaven’s Will, no one knows whether their offspring will randomly possess a good Five Elements Spirit Root.

While the Fate Pattern is said to be a Heavenly Mandate, in reality, it largely depends on the individual’s will—just like how An Jing would never have awakened the Seven Fiend Heavenly Mandate without the will to oppose the Demon Sect and overturn the world.

In truth, what matters is not luck but the human will!

Spirit Roots are subject to heaven, while Fate Patterns depend more on oneself. Although both involve elements of luck, their underlying logics are different!

"This..."

Upon hearing this explanation, An Jing developed a unique train of thought: "This feels a bit like the post-disaster rebuilding from my previous life..."

In An Jing’s past world, there had been a super-war capable of destroying the world.

Before the war, although the environment was slightly troubled, in general, to improve it, one would mainly adapt to the local ecology, cultivating native plants and animals to strengthen local populations.

However, after the war, because the world had become wasteland and even radioactive, local flora, fauna, and even insects like cockroaches were scarcely left. Trying to adapt to the local ecology then was useless; rebuilding was impossible.

The only way to restore a decent ecology was...

"Artificial cultivation, starting from zero by planting trees... rebuilding the ecosystem!"

"Just like in my previous life, when survivors couldn’t restore the world to its original state, they had to design a new world ecology, creating a new world!"

Realizing this, An Jing suddenly saw the light: "So that’s how it is, the Fate Pattern is a tree personally planted by Embracing the Void Heaven!"

"If the Spirit Root doesn’t work, there’s no other solution; Heaven must follow the human heart, planting and nurturing trees by itself!"

"And a firm mind, with a grand vision powerful enough to change the world... that is Personal Fortune, that’s where humans within the murkiness give Heaven a planning document and great vows!"

"If the Great Dao is satisfied with this plan, and Heaven approves of these great vows, it will bestow the Fate Pattern and urge the person to continue advancing on this path!"

Though there may be errors in the details, the train of thought is correct!

The local people of Embracing the Void might not know it, but the entire world of Embracing the Void is filled with a high concentration of lethal Demonic Qi. Although it’s completely unknown why it’s harmless to the locals, overall, the path of Spirit Root cultivation is ruined.

Thus, to prevent the cultivators of this realm from being cut off and no longer having forests that feedback to the world, Heaven must bestow Fate Patterns, planting seedlings on the land spoiled by Demonic Qi, hoping they blossom and bear fruit to nurture more suitable cultivators, to purify the world once again!

This also correlates, as the Fate Pattern acts as a purifier of the Demonic Qi in the world of Embracing the Void; only those with a Fate Pattern can transform Demonic Qi into Spirit Qi, allowing them to commence cultivation.

And importantly...

"The Fate Pattern can be advanced."

As An Jing seemed lost in thought, Mingguang Dust detailed many principles of Martial Arts, highlighting the most crucial point of the conversation: "That is what’s called ’Following Heaven’s Mandate’."

"As long as one follows their Fate Pattern and continuously strives forward, even the weakest Miscellaneous Fate can step forward bit by bit and achieve a Lifebound Peculiar Destiny!"